It’s been almost a decade since the last ‘Harry Potter’ book was released. Since then, fans have either turned their backs on the Harry Potter craze and moved on to other fandoms or spent the last decade waiting patiently for J.K. Rowling’s next novel. 2019 will mark the 10th anniversary of the Harry Potter book series, and to commemorate this momentous occasion, Pottermore was created.
This is where fans can go to revisit their favorite characters and storylines from the series. The site is essentially an interactive ‘Hogwarts’ version of the books; users can go through with the Sorting Hat to see what houses they should be in and meet new characters along the way. There are also new storylines to explore, such as Dumbledore’s Army, the Battle of Hogwarts, and more.
Harry Potter fans will no doubt be happy to spend another year at Hogwarts, but this is more than just a nostalgic trip for them. By creating Harry Potter and Pottermore together, J.K. Rowling was able to tie the entire series into one massive online space. This allowed her to continue the story in a way that didn’t feel forced or tacked on, and it gave fans a new reason to come back every day.
Why Did J.K. Rowling Create Harry Potter?
We may never know the true reasons why J.K. Rowling created Harry Potter, but we can certainly speculate. One theory is that she wanted to create a story with a timeless appeal, something that would appeal not just to kids but to adults as well. Rowling’s original Harry Potter book was inspired by her own experience as a single mother who suddenly had a lot of free time on her hands when her youngest child started school. She decided to use this newfound free time to her advantage and began writing, ultimately creating the Harry Potter series. This theory is supported by J.K. Rowling’s comments in the 2001 documentary Why Harry Potter Strikes Me:
“For the first year or so, I had a very routine, dull life. I woke up, had breakfast, wrote for a couple of hours, had lunch, wrote some more, had dinner, did the dishes, and read. Then when my son started school, it was like a switch had been flipped. Suddenly I had all this extra time, and I had to make the most of it. So it was back to work for me. This is what gave rise to Harry Potter. I could hardly keep up with the ideas that were flooding my head, and I knew I had to write them down.”
How Useful Is Harry Potter?
Whether you’re a hardcore Harry Potter fan or have just found out about the significance of the series’ 10th anniversary, you have to admit that Pottermore is pretty cool. The site allows us to revisit the places and scenes that we’ve grown to love over the years, and it also provides a glimpse into the magical world of Harry Potter that we’ve never known existed. It’s important to keep in mind that while this is a fabulous addition to the Potter legacy, it’s still just an online game, and it doesn’t hold a candle to the original Harry Potter books. But even if you have read the books countless times, it’s fun to see how Rowling expanded the universe in such a unique and creative way.
It’s Been A Decade. What Have You Been Doing Since The Last Book?
In 2019, it will be 10 years since the last Harry Potter book was released. Since then, fans have either turned their backs on the Harry Potter craze and moved on to other fandoms or spent the last decade waiting patiently for J.K. Rowling’s next novel. As mentioned, 2019 will mark the 10th anniversary of the Harry Potter book series, and to commemorate this momentous occasion, Pottermore was created.
This is where fans can go to revisit their favorite characters and storylines from the series. The site is essentially an interactive ‘Hogwarts’ version of the books; users can go through with the Sorting Hat to see what houses they should be in and meet new characters along the way. There are also new storylines to explore, such as Dumbledore’s Army, the Battle of Hogwarts, and more.
Harry Potter fans will no doubt be happy to spend another year at Hogwarts, but this is more than just a nostalgic trip for them. By creating Harry Potter and Pottermore together, J.K. Rowling was able to tie the entire series into one massive online space. This allowed her to continue the story in a way that didn’t feel forced or tacked on, and it gave fans a new reason to come back every day.